Kitting out a kitchen

Calgary culinary maven Julie Van Rosendaal headed to the Cookbook Company Cooks to select a few crucial items needed to set up a new kitchen or help someone equip theirs. A functional cooking space doesn’t need a ton of gadgets. Besides pots and pans, here are a few solid tools that will cover the basics, and be put to good use for years to come.

Baking Sheet

A heavy, restaurant-quality baking sheet is essential not only for cookies, but roasting vegetables, oven fries and sheet pan meals. An uncoated half-sheet pan with a lip will last for decades and be infinitely useful in the kitchen. Nordicware Bakers’ Half Sheet, $26.95.

A Pair of Tongs

The plain stainless steel ones will become the most functional tool in your kitchen, used for moving food around in the oven or on the grill, flipping things on the stovetop and tossing salads. 12-inch heavy duty tongs, $12.50.

Cast Iron Skillet

A well-seasoned cast iron skillet can go from stovetop to oven and back again, cooking everything from a roasted chicken to free-form pies and even fried eggs, and only improves with age. Keep it well seasoned with heat and fat, and wipe with paper towel when you’re done. 12-inch Lodge cast iron, $62.95.

Heat-proof Spatulas

They’re the new wooden spoon, sturdy and perfect for scraping the bottom of the mixing bowl or saucepan as you stir. They also come in handy for getting underneath omelettes to fold them over or flip them out of the pan. Brands, sizes and prices vary.

Cutting Board

Every kitchen needs a cutting board — preferably one that won’t warp, can be cleaned and is heatproof, so it can double as a trivet when hot dishes are coming out of the oven. If it has a groove around the edge, it will catch any drips from slicing roast meats or juicy fruits and vegetables. 17.5 by 13-inch Epicurean wood fiber cutting board, $66.95 (with a lifetime warranty).

Enamel-coated Cast Iron

If you’re looking to splurge, invest in a heavy-duty enamel-coated cast iron pot or braising pan such as Le Creuset or Staub. It can go from stovetop to oven and will last for a lifetime of stews, braised dishes, pot roasts, soups and virtually anything else you can think of. Staub Oval Cocotte, 5.75 litres, $364.95.

Wire Whisk

Get a good, solid stainless steel one and it will last forever. 12-inch French whip, $11.25; 14-inch $20.95.

Sturdy Mixing Bowl

One good bowl can be used for everything from batters to tossed salads, and a nice looking one can even move from the kitchen to the table. In the Forest Mixing Bowl, $59.95.

Silpat Baking Mat

Rather than go through years of parchment, use a silicone baking mat to line your baking sheets, releasing cookies easily and protecting your pan from too much clean-up after roasted vegetables and anything else you’d bake or roast in the oven. Half sheet, $49.95; Full sheet, $69.95

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